The 9 Dollar Date
by justanoutlaw
Summary: Robin shows how much he cares for Regina, with very little.


**Inspired by 3x01 of This Is Us. I just felt like the $9 date was very much Robin and Regina.**

Robin knew he was in over his head the day he met Regina. She was beautiful, smart ,the total package. She could have her pick of any guy she wanted and yet, she had chosen him. They talked every day and she constantly hinted at dates, but he always dodged her. He knew she was running low on patience, but the truth was he wanted to save up to give her an amazing date. Finally, he had done it, he could take her out to a nice restaurant and see a movie.

The day of the date, however, his mom was eighty bucks short on the rent. He knew that had to come first and he handed over the cash. It'd only leave him with nine bucks for the date. He couldn't cancel, not then. So, he'd have to revamp his plan. It wouldn't be the date that Regina deserved, but maybe it was for the best. She could see the real him.

He picked her up at her house at 6 PM, as promised. She was wearing a beautiful black dress, her short dark hair curled. The one source of color was a red scarf that was thrown around her neck, paired with a silver locket. God, did she know how to take his breath away.

She slid into the passenger seat of the car and grinned at him. "Hi."

"Hi. You look beautiful." He suddenly felt underdressed, in his jeans and beat up Ramones shirt under a faded brown jacket.

"Thank you. Where are we headed?"

"The movies."

Regina talked the whole way to the movies, she talked a lot. Robin liked that, it meant he didn't have to talk much about himself. When they pulled up at the dollar theater, he could see something in her eyes. It wasn't disappointment, but surprise. He ignored the lump growing in his throat, waiting for her to say something. He could remember the time his 3rd grade teacher had made them do Secret Santa, not considering that not everyone could afford even the $10 limit. He had found some spare wood and made a makeshift Christmas tree, coloring it in with magic markers.

Zelena had pitched a fit. The other kids got stuffed animals or books. Robin felt embarrassed as the teacher let her pick out some prizes from the reading challenge bin. He hadn't even revealed himself, but everyone knew. Everyone stared.

He waited for Regina to do the same, but she smiled and said, "What are we seeing?"

Her smile was infectious and he took the keys out of the ignition. "National Lampoon's Vacation, the original."

After paying for the tickets, popcorns and drinks, Robin was left with four bucks. It wasn't a lot, but he swore to himself he'd make it work. Regina didn't even blink about sharing the popcorn, she slid her hand through his sweaty one, grinning at him as the movie started. It was terrible and corny, but Regina laughed through all of it. Her smile made every single bit of it worth it.

Once the movie was done, they ducked out of the rain and into a café across the street. He eyed the menu nervously. Coffee was two bucks a cup, he wouldn't even have enough to leave a tip if they both got one, so he just said he was fine with water. Regina studied him closely and then leaned back in her seat.

"You know, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I can pay my own way."

Heat tinted Robin's cheeks. "What?"

"You don't have to buy everything, just because you're the guy."

"I…I know." It was true. He didn't believe that the guy should be responsible for everything….it didn't change that he wanted to be. "I just wanted to make tonight special for you. I promised you this great movie and then, well…something came up and I only had nine bucks left for this date."

Regina smiled. "Tonight was special. I didn't feel like you were trying to impress me, we saw an incredibly cheesy movie and you didn't try to feel me up." Robin snorted and she giggled. "This is the best date I've been on since my fiancé died."

"Fiancé?"

"He worked for the stables, died when the roof collapsed in on one of them."

Robin remembered reading about that in the paper. Daniel Colter, young and handsome. He died far too soon. "I'm so sorry."

"It's been awhile." Regina shrugged. "I guess it's why I talk a lot. I feel like I didn't say the stuff I should've said when he was alive. Ever since then, I hate silence."

"You can talk as much as you like," he told her, reaching out to hold her hand. She graciously accepted it, glad that it wasn't as sweaty as it had been at the theater. "It's kinda cute."

Blush spread across her cheeks and she ducked her head towards her coffee cup.

"Next date's on me," she insisted. "And I'll try to see if I can pull it off with 5 bucks to prove to you we don't need money to have a good time."

Robin shook his head, taking a sip of his water. "I'm excited to see that one."


End file.
